Flatten a PDF form
Filled in a government form or a job application and want to send it without anyone altering the fields? Flattening paints what you typed into the page and removes the fillable fields, so the document arrives exactly as you sent it.
Drop your files here
Files are processed on your device and never uploaded
Three steps, that's it
Drop the filled PDF in the tray
Press Flatten file
Download a copy whose fields can no longer be edited
Frequently asked questions
How is flattening different from password protection?
Flattening only removes the fillable fields, so a recipient cannot type into them, and the file still opens without a password. Password protection is a different thing, and it lives in the Protect PDF tool.
My file has no form fields, what happens?
You get a message saying the file has no fillable fields, so there is nothing to flatten. That usually means the file was scanned, or exported as fixed pages in the first place.
Is the text still selectable after flattening?
Yes. The values are drawn into the page as text, so they stay selectable, copyable and searchable. They are simply no longer an editable field.
